Sir Gary Verity; why honours system needs reform – The Yorkshire Post says

THE NEW inquiry into the awarding of a knighthood to the then Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Sir Gary Verity in 2015, and whether it should be forfeited in the wake of subsequent scandals, ends a challenging week for the wider honours system.
By YP Comment
Published 8th Jan 2022, 11:33 BST
Sir Gary Verity's knighthood is now being investigated by the Forfeiture Committee.Sir Gary Verity's knighthood is now being investigated by the Forfeiture Committee.
Sir Gary Verity's knighthood is now being investigated by the Forfeiture Committee.

This has seen an outcry over the decision to make Tony Blair a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, an award that was in the Queen’s personal gift, and confirmation that it will require an Act of Parliament to strip Lord Nazir Ahmed of his title after his conviction over historic child sex offences.

Forfeiture Committee to consider whether to revoke Sir Gary Verity’s knighthood

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For many years, there have been calls for the secretive work of the Forfeiture Committee – part of the Cabinet Office – to become more transparent to end the type of anomalies that saw jockey Lester Piggott, rightly, stripped of his OBE over tax evasion while author Jeffrey Archer kept his peerage after being jailed for perjury.

Eleven-year-old fundrasier Tobias Weller at his home in Sheffield, Yorkshire. "Captain Tobias" has become the youngest person on record to feature on the New Year honours list after he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charitable fundraising during Covid-19.Eleven-year-old fundrasier Tobias Weller at his home in Sheffield, Yorkshire. "Captain Tobias" has become the youngest person on record to feature on the New Year honours list after he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charitable fundraising during Covid-19.
Eleven-year-old fundrasier Tobias Weller at his home in Sheffield, Yorkshire. "Captain Tobias" has become the youngest person on record to feature on the New Year honours list after he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charitable fundraising during Covid-19.

This is important if the wider integrity of public honours is to be maintained so those community heroes, who come to regard this formal Royal recognition as the proudest day of their lives, can continue to be celebrated and lauded.

Rightly, last week’s New Year honours were largely defined by those who answered their country’s call over Covid and the inspirational 11-year-old Tobias Weller, from Sheffield, who became the youngest ever recipient of a BEM after overcoming cerebral palsy and autism to complete a number of fundraising walks and challenges. The day such stories of hope are totally eclipsed by cronyism and other controversies will also be the day that further reform is required.

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Related topics:YorkshireYorkshire PostTony Blair

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